Recycled Plastic Lattice: For a New Transit Hybrid

Project details

Programme

Research Cluster RC8

This is a proposal for the renovation of King's Cross station concourse. The station canopy is redesigned as a multi-plastic, patterned tensile membrane. The volumetric design of the membrane’s support columns allows them to form enclosures for various functional co-working spaces. Appropriate daylight conditions for white collar working are enabled by adjusting the colour and transparency of the plastics. Recycled thermoplastics are used in its construction (TPU and PET/PETG). They are combined by gradient fusion and the 3D printing of the flexible tensile membrane and the rigid support structure. In terms of construction, the design uses functionally gradient materials for integrating 3D printing and construction and to reduce the number of steps and components typically used in traditional tensile membranes.

Students

Material and Pattern

Large Input and Emission

The original canopy of Kings Cross station is constructed by steel grid, aluminum panels and glass panels. The material usage is quite huge that will cause huge amounts of waste and pollution.

Plastic: Rigidity and Flexibility

Classic thermoplastics are compared in five properties. PET, PETG, and TPU have outstandingly high tensile strength for flexible design.

Manually Fusing Experiments

The wasted bottles made from PET are used in fusing experiments.

Manually Fusing Experiments

These find a pattern that can not only reduce carbon emissions but also have structural strength. A uniform random polygon is selected out of 12 patterns.

Printing in Gradient

The panels are printed in multi-plastics with graded transition.

Lattice Membrane

Form Finding of Membrane

Tensile membrane and sub-structures are formed by setting anchor points and peak points.

Lattice Generation

Materials are distributed following stress lines.

Lattice Control

Membrane Structure with Lattice

Printing in Multi-material

Fabrication in the New Era

Integrated Assembly

The traditional assembly processes can be replaced by extrusion welding.

Welding, Compressing, Bending

Connection Design

The flexible design is graded from 100% PETG to 100% TPU. The rigid one has interlocked interfaces and is welded with fillers.

Fabrication Strategy

After the plastic is collected, recycled, and reused in 3D printing. The printed panels are transported from companies to the site and assembled through welding. The material will be recycled in demolition.